Martha Brotherton (née Harvey)
Whittington’s Forgotten Pioneer of Vegetarian Cookery
Among the many notable figures connected with Whittington, few are more remarkable — or more overlooked — than Martha Brotherton (née Harvey), a woman now recognised as the author of the first vegetarian cookbook published in the English language.
Born in Whittington in 1782, Martha’s life bridged two worlds: the rural Derbyshire village of her childhood and the rapidly industrialising towns of Lancashire. Though little known today outside specialist circles, her work influenced the early vegetarian movement in Britain and America and helped shape a wider culture of social reform in the nineteenth century.
Early Life in Whittington
Martha Harvey was baptised in 1782 in the ancient parish of St Bartholomew’s Church, Old Whittington, near Chesterfield. She grew up in a period when Whittington was still largely agricultural, though the surrounding district was increasingly affected by industrial change, coal mining, iron production, and expanding transport networks.
Like most women of her generation, Martha was educated primarily in the skills of domestic management: cooking, preserving food, sewing, and household economy. Yet the Harvey family also held strong religious and moral convictions which would later shape Martha’s outlook on health, diet, and social responsibility.
In 1805 she married her cousin, Joseph Brotherton, at St Bartholomew’s Church. Their marriage firmly links one of the most important early figures in vegetarian history with the parish of Old Whittington.
Marriage to Joseph Brotherton
After their marriage, Martha and Joseph moved to Pendleton, near Salford, in Lancashire.
Joseph Brotherton became a prominent minister in the Bible Christian Church, a small religious movement founded by the Reverend William Cowherd. The Bible Christians promoted abstinence from alcohol and advocated a meat-free diet on both moral and spiritual grounds. Members believed compassion towards animals formed part of Christian duty and that simple living encouraged moral improvement.
Joseph later entered politics and became the first Member of Parliament for Salford, serving from 1832 until his death in 1857. He was widely respected as a reformer and campaigned for education, public libraries, factory reform, and social improvement.
He was also associated with the early legislation that enabled towns to establish free public libraries and museums, believing that knowledge and culture should be accessible to ordinary working people.
Vegetable Cookery
— The First Vegetarian Cookbook
While Joseph spoke publicly and served in Parliament, Martha worked more quietly within the home and church community. It was there that she began compiling practical recipes suitable for households that avoided meat and alcohol.
In 1812 her recipes were published anonymously in serial form under the title:
A New System of Vegetable Cookery
The work later appeared in book form in 1821 and expanded through several later editions under the title:
Vegetable Cookery, with an Introduction Recommending Abstinence from Animal Food and Intoxicating Liquors
Joseph Brotherton wrote the introduction, but the recipes themselves were Martha’s work.
At a time when vegetarianism was regarded as unusual or even eccentric, Martha’s cookbook demonstrated that nourishing and economical meals could be prepared without meat. Her recipes included soups, pies, puddings, breads, vegetable dishes, preserves, and desserts.
By the 1833 edition the work contained over a thousand recipes and had become highly influential within early vegetarian circles.
Today the book is widely recognised as the earliest vegetarian cookbook published in English.
The Earliest Bakewell Pudding Recipe
One of the most intriguing recipes in Martha’s cookbook is a version of Bakewell Pudding, now considered the earliest known printed recipe for the famous Derbyshire dish.
Her recipe used puff pastry, fruit preserve, eggs, almonds, sugar, butter, and mashed potato — rather different from the modern Bakewell Tart, but clearly linked to the traditional pudding associated with Derbyshire.
The inclusion of the recipe reflects Martha’s continuing connection with her Derbyshire roots even after moving to Lancashire.
Family Life and Loss
Martha and Joseph had several children, though not all survived infancy — a sadly common experience in the early nineteenth century.
Their youngest child, Sarah Brotherton, died as a baby and was buried in the churchyard of St Bartholomew’s, Whittington, close to the place where her parents had married.
Their daughter Helen Brotherton later became a significant reformer in her own right, serving as Vice-President of the Vegetarian Society and continuing her parents’ work in education, philanthropy, and vegetarian advocacy.
The Vegetarian Society
In 1847 the modern Vegetarian Society was formally founded at Ramsgate.
Joseph Brotherton spoke at the founding meeting, helping lend credibility and support to what was then still a relatively small movement. Martha herself attended early Vegetarian Society events and remained closely associated with the movement throughout her life.
Although Joseph became the better-known public figure, many historians now recognise that Martha’s cookbook provided one of the movement’s most practical and enduring contributions.
Final Years and Legacy
Joseph Brotherton died in 1857. Martha survived him by four years, dying in Pendleton in 1861 at the age of seventy-eight.
They were buried together at Weaste Cemetery, Salford.
Unlike many Victorian reformers, Martha left no grand memorials or statues. Instead, her legacy survives through her writing, her influence on vegetarian cookery, and the wider ideals she helped promote: moderation, compassion, economy, and social improvement.
Today, interest in Martha Brotherton continues to grow. Historians of food, vegetarianism, women’s writing, and social reform increasingly recognise her as a pioneering figure whose work began in the kitchens of ordinary households but ultimately helped shape an international movement.
For Whittington, she represents another remarkable connection between the parish and wider national history — a local woman whose influence extended far beyond Derbyshire.